Rumour had it that Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the man who made his mark in Bollywood by playing a gangster from Jharkhand, was to play the late Shiv Sena supremo – Bal Thackeray – in an upcoming film. And the news totally did feel just that, a rumour. Till the teaser for Sanjay Raut’s 2019 release, Thackeray the Film dropped, leaving our jaws somewhat unhinged.
For a party that did not let Nawaz perform at a Ramleela (in UP) this year because of his religion, and who have been vocal (and offensively so) about those who come to Maharashtra to seek (steal, in their opinion) jobs, this was a rather surprising move.
Six thoughts I had while watching the teaser of a film whose existence is proof that irony is dead:
1) Mother of Dragons. Still cannot believe Nawazuddin Siddiqui is playing Bal Thackeray in a film that’s clearly about the Bombay riots in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition.
2) The largely peaceful protests by Muslims were believed to have turned violent due to the alleged machinisations of the Shiv Sena supremo. And Sanjay Raut offered that role to Nawaz. Well, well, well.
3) This VFX shot was definitely done by an intern.
4) Aaaand, here he comes. Homeboy looking good. And by good, I mean he almost looks like Bal. And by almost I mean, like fraternal twins.
5) Hahahahaha! Just remembered Sanjay Raut had ink thrown at him by a party worker in UP. #TheSortOfTriviaILike
6) Speaking of Uttar Pradesh, isn’t Nawaz from Yogi ji’s land? So is Shiv Sena now chill with people from UP and Bihar coming to Maharashtra for work? #AskingForAFriend
Watch the trailer here:
